Toy Hall of Fame misses out on obvious choice

When I asked my sister's Magic 8 Ball in 1973 whether my Electric Football game would ever be a member of the National Toy Hall of Fame, it told me, "It is decidedly so."

Maybe eventually, but not yet.

Although Electric Football remains the Barry Bonds of the Toy Hall of Fame – the greatest non-inductee in history – Magic 8 Ball was one of three toys named to the Hall this year, joining Uno and pinball in the highest honor for playthings.

The National Toy Hall of Fame, as you undoubtedly know, is part of The Strong Museum of Play in Rochester, N.Y. It's where the greatest toys are honored.

Frankly, 2018 was a down year – kind of like when the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2012, when Ron Santo and Barry Larkin were the inductees.

Magic 8 Ball, Uno and pinball?

I enjoyed using a Magic 8 Ball to ask embarrassing questions about my sisters, played Uno with little kids who couldn't wait for adults to have only one card and lost many quarters before realizing I couldn't play pinball, this year's class lacks a headliner.

Consider previous classes: In 2000, bicycle, jacks and slinky were all named. In 2003, G.I. Joe and Scrabble were both chosen. How about the legendary class of 1998 (the National Toy Hall of Fame equivalent of the 2003 NBA draft or 1984 NFL draft), which included Barbie, LEGOs, marbles and frisbee? Heck, 2017 had paper airplane and wiffle ball.

This year's class? Meh.

It's particularly bland when you consider toys that were passed over: Tic-tac-toe, chutes and ladders, chalk and the aforementioned Tudor Electric Football.

Read that again. Electric Football – arguably the defining example of sports games that are expensive, ubiquitous and don't work – is not in the National Toy Hall of Fame.

Electric Football was perhaps the most dramatic Christmas present of my childhood: I got 49ers vs. Rams. I applied the numbers to the plastic players, rolled up the cotton footballs and got ready.

Then I turned the field on and realized it was just a metal board that vibrated and made the "players" bounce in circles until one touched the player with the cotton football, thereby "tackling" him.

Sure, it was disappointing, but I kept playing, hoping a miracle would happen and my players would act like they did on the commercials.

If that doesn't make it Hall of Fame worthy, I don't know what would.

Electric Football has to go in next year. And as an aside, how is it that chalk is on the outside while stick, blanket and swing are members? How else do you draw on a sidewalk? Or play hopscotch? Or even write on a chalkboard?

You need chalk. But chalk isn't in the Hall of Fame. It, too, should have gone in this year.

Listen, I don't have a problem with Uno, Magic 8 Ball and pinball. I just think the voters in the Hall of Fame need to wise up.

Otherwise, they're in danger of metaphorically  bouncing around on a vibrating metal field, waiting for something to happen.

You know, like Electric Football.

Reach Brad Stanhope at bradstanhope@hotmail.com.